About

During nearly 50 years of Soviet occupation, buildings that were part of Lithuania’s cultural heritage, such as churches, monasteries, synagogues, and manor homes, were “re-purposed,” destroyed, or neglected. Furthermore, news and education were highly controlled and politicized so that the public only heard a view of the country’s past that was distorted to serve the Soviet state. As a result, much of the country’s cultural heritage was not known or well understood, especially by younger Lithuanians.

Since Lithuania regained its independence, architect Aurimas Širvys has advised individuals and organizations who have undertaken projects to restore the condition of existing buildings of cultural heritage. He has also made studies of images of “lost buildings” and made two- and three-dimensional representations of those buildings so that the memory of such buildings can endure.

Mr. Širvys will discuss how he became interested in helping Lithuania recover its architectural cultural history and some of the restoration projects in which he has participated.

This event jointly sponsored by the Levin College Forum Program and the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.